Bluebird Sim 757

It's been a while since I posted anything, I've been busy simming... 😬

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I've added a table of contents to aid navigation and a TLDR at the bottom for you (this is a long post).

• The Launch
• The Nest App
• The Aircraft
• Systems
• Flight Model and Control
• The EFB
• The Conclusion and Value
• TLDR

So it's out, after what seems like an eternity and was actually around 4 years. The Bluebird Simulations 757 has officially launched.

This is a plane I have coveted since it was first announced, the IRL 757s are high up there on the list of my all-time favourites (as they are in many people's eyes) and to have one in the simulator is something I have wanted since MSFS 2020 was released. To give you a bit more context, my research into the 757 went as far as some IRL documentation purchases.

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These are my initial thoughts on the launch and plane and are my own personal opinion.

The Launch

It wasn't smooth, anything but, the planned release day was the 23rd and due to some team illness this ended up being the 24th (I hope whoever was unwell is now well again).

Then when it did launch, as with a number of plane launches in the past (thinking back to the early PMDG MSFS launches etc) the servers took a hammering, logins failed, emails took forever to arrive or didn't arrive and installs when people did get in were slow or didn't work quite right and there were frustrations vented across all forms of social media.

For me... a number of these things could have been foreseen and mitigated, as I mentioned we've seen a lot of the issues with previous launches and that enables development teams to plan for them.

It was disappointing to see them happen but given what we have seen before I am also not surprised we saw them.

With that said, since the initial rush has calmed down I tested logging in and reinstalling fresh and it worked "fine" so I am going to note but discount the launch from my overall thoughts on the plane as someone purchasing it now wouldn't experience those.

The Nest App

Along with the plane there is a companion app called "Nest" which is for installing the aircraft and liveries as well as being designed to run in the background with the sim. It is needed for initial activation of the EFB and systems and, from information I have gathered through the Bluebird Simulations Discord, generates the terrain radar image that is displayed on the screens in the aircraft.

We know that is all it does because there is a bug or two in the app. Very quickly after launch it was shown to sit using between 0 and 25% of your GPU utilisation (reports varied from user to user) even when the sim isn't running. In addition there is a reported memory leak causing GPU VRAM to be used up. Bluebird put out an announcement to say that it could be closed after loading into a flight at the point where you are ready to push back and a patch will be coming soon to resolve the issue. So we know it's not critical for flight apart from the terrain radar, which then stops working.

This to me should have been spotted, no real excuse for this one but at least there is a workaround.

In addition the app's installation process is "Unzip the folder in the download and double-click the exe" not the end of the world but given they have written the app could they have not wrapped an installer around it for a bit more "polish"? It makes it feel like the app was an afterthought.

Conclusion - the app's average, it probably should have been better.

As I write this - Bluebird have released 2 days after launch a new version of Nest, fixing the bug with the GPU usage and adding an installer to the app!!

The Aircraft Itself

Once it's installed and you're loaded into the sim we get to the plane itself. Now, the first thing to remember is that this is a 2020 native plane that has been made compatible with 2024 - a 2024 native version is coming (no timeline on that at the moment). So we already expect some of the fancy bells and whistles that MSFS 2024 enables won't be in place. Bluebird have been very clear about that fact.

The liveries and textures and modelling

We'll start with the outside of the aircraft, it's a mixed bag, some of the textures are very very good, the landing gear and decals are all high fidelity and well modelled, the tops of the wings are good too for those juicy wing views we all love. There are, however, a lot of the textures that aren't very good and are low fidelity (the APU exhaust shielding is a good example). Now how often as a simmer do I sit and look closely at the APU shielding when I am flying? Never apart from the first time I fly a new plane, how much FPS do these low-fidelity textures save? No idea, and partly I don't care. iFly talked about picking and choosing the textures they make high fidelity to give good performance when they released the latest version of the 737 MAX - I get it but then you look at the iniBuilds A350 or A380 and the % of their textures that are super high quality, or the Fenix series of planes similarly a lot of the textures are high fidelity. I will note I'm not being entirely fair on Bluebird here, the A350, A380 and Fenix planes are all native 2024 and have used features to help enhance the model and textures of the plane but the iFly isn't native and it has a general feel of "higher quality" in regard to the exterior modelling.

Inside the plane, starting with the cabin - No, the toilets don't flush, that's because they aren't there, just the doors. No idea what the community's obsession with the flushing toilets is but in the 757 you won't be getting that. The cabin is "OK", textures from a distant glance are passable, but get in close and they don't look superb, certainly not iniBuilds level (even for a 2020 native iniBuilds A350) and more crucially not to the same level as the iFly MAX, and there are none of the fun little "featurettes" like opening overhead bins etc; overall it's "fine" but nothing to shout about.

Now onto the cockpit and this is where the story improves, the modelling in here is very good (again for a 2020 native plane) it's on a par with the iFly MAX certainly on a par with the MAX when it first released. There are some decals and things that need some work, especially the ones in the pilot's direct line of sight on the left column but overall, the buttons, switches and dials are modelled very well, the CRT screens look superb and have some amazing little features when the power switches from GPU to APU and then to Gen, very nicely done, Bluebird. There are lots of other little fun features too but I'll let you find them. Overall the modelling in the cockpit is good I am pleased they got that right. This is where I spend 98% of my time when flying.

I appreciate everyone is different in terms of how they use the sim, how they fly planes and what their priorities are when it comes to modelling but for my use case (98% in the cockpit, 1% cabin windows taking screenshots, 1% outside taking screenshots) the overall modelling is what I would class as "good", it's not great, it's not superb, it is great where it matters to me and in some areas it's poor to good.

Systems

This is where the plane starts coming into its own more, the systems. Bluebird have created "The most faithful 757 simulation ever created for Microsoft Flight Simulator." Not hard as it's the ONLY 757 in Microsoft Flight Simulator but they have done a very good job.

Now I am not a 757 pilot or even a pilot, I am an enthusiastic amateur who spends too long reading manuals, FCOMs and researching how planes work.

Bluebird have modelled almost the full FMC with (from my understanding of it) impeccable detail, it has nearly all the functions (missing Airplane Condition Monitoring System (ACMS)), a clever ACARS simulation, SimBrief integration to help you along with setting up the flight and from what I have seen so far, it all works well.

The functionality I have used so far in the flights I have done has all worked as I would have expected, VNAV etc all doing what it is supposed to. I have seen, however, a significant number of complaints on the Bluebird Discord about how the plane's flight systems function. I take that with a pinch of salt as the modes and method of flying a 757 are quite different to the 737, as well noted in the 412-page manual that came with the plane, so filtering between what is operator error and actual systems errors or bugs is challenging. For me, it does what I expect it to do, time will tell as I get into practising more challenging arrivals, non-standard procedures and failures.

In addition to the standard Flight Management Functions, Bluebird have modelled over 200 different circuit breakers and the effects that pulling them has on the plane, this is superb and I believe a first for MSFS (certainly to that level of detail). For me, I'm pleased with that, I like simulating different failures and being able to deal with them with the CB modelling is a big plus, but a lot of users of the sim won't care about this feature and won't ever interact with the plane to that level of detail it's a case of "mileage may vary". That will come into play when we get down to the value section in a bit.

The modelling of the hydraulics, fuel, pneumatics and electrical systems is very good indeed, true to life and from my time using it so far does what I would expect. Great attention to detail.

In addition to that, the state saving of things like hydraulic fluid reservoirs, APU oil servicing, oxygen levels and fire suppression bottles etc is a welcome addition and nice to be able to interact with.

Failures are another area where Bluebird have placed a LOT of time, there are in excess of 70 failure scenarios that can be activated, armed to fail at different times or randomly occur. I've not used these extensively yet but the initial tests have been very good. I'll update on them in a later post I expect.

Overall I am VERY happy with the systems modelling. Bluebird have done a great job and it really is nice to have such a detailed 757 in the sim.

Flight Model and Control

This is an interesting topic, Bluebird have real-world 757 pilots on their team who have been providing feedback on all areas of flight model and control implementation. There have been significant reports of flight model strangeness and unrealism on social media and the ticketing system. For me this is a very difficult topic to comment on as I've never flown an actual 757, and it makes the topic a challenging discussion point across the board. Bluebird say it's incredibly close to real life, others say it's totally unrealistic and far too sensitive. I do know that the 757 has a very different feel to the likes of the 737 and the 777 etc, it is incredibly sensitive due to the size of the control surfaces.

You also have the challenge of everyone using the aircraft with different hardware, some use Xbox controllers, some use joysticks, some yokes and some are somewhere in between. So if your 757 pilots have all been testing with similar hardware and you've dialled it in to that hardware type then of course you might find other controller types don't respond in the same way, I would like to think that Bluebird's beta testing covered an extensive range of controller types and they would have picked up on any issues.

For me, I am using my joystick to fly the 757, I've not yet tested my yoke with it. I've used the same controller profile as I do with the PMDG, iniBuilds, iFly and Fenix aircraft with no modifications and it has been fine, yes it's sensitive but I expected that and from my understanding of how it should feel, it seems pretty spot on to me, but that's just my opinion. iniBuilds had similar issues when the A350 was first released, they seem to have tweaked that flight model since whether that moved away from realism to appease the masses or there was an issue I don't know but the complaints have gone away from them. I'll be interested to see what Bluebird does in response.

The EFB

• The EFB in the 757 is decent, it has some nice features, the earlier-mentioned hydraulics, fuel, pneumatics and electrical systems are all shown and animated depending on what is doing what, that's a very nice touch. The interface is what you would expect from an EFB, it's not got all the features I want but I suspect they will come with time.

It also seems to have an intermittent bug with downloading Navigraph data for some, a few restarts resolved it for me but some are struggling to update from there.

To pick a few of the changes I'd like to see:

• I'd like the ability to select one of the panel states as default, don't always load me in cold and dark.
• Performance Calculator shouldn't be in the "Navigation" menu. Have that as a separate app on the main screen, please.
• Allow me to hide the EFB
• Audio control panel to change the volume of the aircraft's functions (engines etc)

Not a huge amount more I can say about the EFB.

The Conclusion and Value

This is a challenging section because everyone is going to have a different opinion - this is mine. The Bluebird 757 is a decent plane let down by some quality-of-life areas, the FMC, failures and modelling of the core systems are exceptionally good, the areas I spend most of my time looking at are well modelled and enjoyable to be in. The quality-of-life areas that I mentioned, however, are in areas that control a lot of the first impressions and matter more to a lot of people who use the sim (I appreciate I am in a niche of simmers who go to the detail level I do) and that makes it feel a bit disappointing.

The aircraft at launch is $80 + taxes, which makes it about £60 before VAT. That is more than the iniBuilds A350 or A380 at launch, more than the Fenix and more than the iFly MAX. In addition this plane has been in development for FOUR years.

When you take into account the systems modelling and depth, I understand the pricing, I understand the work that went into building that level of detail. However, as I've mentioned, I suspect a significant proportion of the simming community are less bothered by the extreme level of detail of the systems and more by how the plane looks. Additionally they have an expectation level set by the likes of iniBuilds and Fenix, they set the bar in terms of visual quality, so pricing your aircraft above their flagship planes adds to that expectation.

So is the plane worth $80, for me... yes the systems depth gets it there, does it FEEL like an $80 plane, no, not by a considerable margin. Will the majority of people feel it's worth $80, no they won't, not in its current state and we shouldn't be basing value on "it's got potential".

I do have confidence that Bluebird will get it to the point where that $80 feels justified, and that may come with the 2024 native version but it's not there at the moment.

I am not going to say if you should buy it or not, that is dependent on what you value most.

TLDR

The Bluebird 757 is finally out after around 4 years. It’s a decent plane that’s held back by some quality-of-life gaps.

• Launch: Rough. Servers took a hammering, logins failed and emails went missing. We’ve seen it all before, so it could have been planned for. It’s calmed down now, so I’ve left it out of my verdict.
• Nest app: Average. It launched with a GPU usage bug and no installer, and both were fixed in a new version two days later.
• Exterior and cabin: A mixed bag. The gear and decals look great, but plenty of other textures are low fidelity. The cabin is fine, with nothing to shout about.
• Cockpit: Good, and on a par with the iFly MAX. It’s where I spend 98% of my time, so I’m happy.
• Systems: The star of the show. The FMC is close to complete, there are over 200 circuit breakers modelled and over 70 failure scenarios. Hydraulics, fuel, pneumatics and electrics are all very good.
• Flight model: Opinion is split online. It’s sensitive, but on my joystick it feels right to me. I’ve never flown a real 757, so take that with a pinch of salt.
• EFB: Decent, with a few things I’d like added (default panel state, a hide option, audio controls).
• Value: $80 is more than the A350, A380, Fenix or iFly MAX cost at launch. The systems depth gets it there for me, but it doesn’t FEEL like an $80 plane yet. Most people won’t think it’s worth it in its current state.

I think Bluebird will get it there, and the 2024 native version may be the point where it does. I’m not going to tell you whether to buy it, as that depends on what you value most.